Originally called the Stratford Community Choir under the direction of Howard Dyck, the choir performed at the very first Summer Music Festival in 1981.  The group separated from the festival the next year and officially became the Stratford Concert Choir.

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After Ray Daniels took over in 1982, the choir gradually came into its own, attracting new singers and performing more challenging repertoire.

Ian Sadler became artistic director in 1989.  During his 32-year tenure the SCC regularly delighted audiences with performances of works such as Handel’s Messiah, Mendelssohn’s Elijah and the Requiems of Brahms and Mozart.

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The SCC has performed not only in Stratford but also in Port Elgin, Goderich, Grimsby, Mindemoya -  Manitoulin Island, Kingston and Truro, Nova Scotia. Many of our singers have travelled to UK, Paris, Jamaica and Dublin as part of the Cathedral Singers of Ontario. This choir was established by Ian Sadler with the mandate to sing services for a week in various Cathedrals during the post Christmas and summer holidays of their resident choirs. These were memorable trips for everyone. 

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The choir is featured on five recordings, including 'KaChunk: 40 Years of Music for the Theatre' by Alan Laing and 'Lost Souls' by Loreena McKennit.

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In January 2022, Brian Wismath became interim artistic director. 

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Stephane Potvin took up the artistic director role from September 2022 to May 2025.

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Stratford Concert Choir is delighted to welcome Alex Cann as our Artistic Director for our upcoming 2025-2026 season. He brings a deep experience and love of music from a wide range of styles and history. We are excited to work with him to bring you a great variety of music, some familiar, some older, some new works and together explore more by Canadian composers.

 

Alexander Cann is a choral conductor, keyboardist, and music teacher. Born in Toronto, Cann attended the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto and has degrees from McMaster University (B.A.) and McGill University (M.Mus.).Cann has developed innovative and entertaining programs, such as Baroque Opera Choruses, Canadian Folksongs, live soundtrack to the film Metropolis, and Music from World War One. He is known for his extraordinary musicality and is an accomplished and multifaceted music leader as a choral conductor, pianist, and teacher.

 

Cann has also served as Artistic Director of Hamilton's Bach Elgar Choir since 2010. He is a founding director of the Three Choir Festival, a rotating choral festival featuring Bach Elgar with the Georgetown Bach Chorale and Oakville Masterworks Chorus. The most recent concert, in October 2024, featured the Festival Chorus in Handel’s Coronation Anthems as well as Cann as a soloist in Bach’s Concerto for Three Harpsichords in C Major.  Cann has been the Director of Music at Melrose United Church since 2013. 

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The choir continues to share its passion for choral music by presenting a diverse program of great works, developing singers to a high standard of performance and collaborating with other arts organizations.​